St. Nino Convent and Bodbe (Qiziki) Eparchy Episcopacy center is located in 2 km from Signaghi. Cathedral was constructed in IV century AD, on the tomb of St. Nino who introduced Christianity in Georgia. Bodbe Episcopacy was founded in V century by Vakhtang Gorgasali. In VIII-IX centuries the cathedral was remade into a three-nave basilica. The Georgian king Demetre I (1125-1156) played an important role in decoration of the monastery. Bodbe monastery was renovated many times by the Georgian kings. From the end of XV century Bishop of Bodbe was the commander of Kakheti kingdom military and administrative entity. In XVIII century Bodbe also supervised David Gareji monasteries. In the 20-ies of the XIX century Father superior of the monastery, Ioane Makashvili, fundamentally repaired the church, decorated it with paintings and made iconostasis. In 1837 Bodbe monastery was shut down. In 1889 by Decree of the Russian emperor, Alexander III, Bodbe Convent was opened (here served Mother Superior Famar – Tamar Marjanishvili). Here also was arranged boarding school of noble ladies. In 1924 the Bolsheviks closed the monastery. In 1991 the monastery life was restored in Bodbe. One of the biggest shrines of the monastery is miraculous icon of Mother Mary of Iveria.

Large enough shops of icon painting and needle work are functioning under the monastery. Nunns are engaged in the activity of knowledge expansion, prepare new religious service books according to manuscripts.

In the end of 90-ies around the spring of water which emerged under the influence of prayers of St. Nino was constructed tub of water for ritual bath and a small church named after her parents – St. Zabulon and St. Sosana (architect Teimuraz Beridze). A lot of people every day visit this place.

100 Sights of Georgia